Reflective Writing (College Essay)

Water has the ability to liberate me from the forces of gravity and schoolwork that relentlessly push me down. I have been a swimmer for eleven years, and I find solace in the billows of the ocean or in a calm pool. So when my teammate Emily Johnson founded Friends Introducing Swimming and Healthy Habits (FISHH) and asked me to be her partner in fundraising projects, I was thrilled to help others become acquainted with the water.

Together, we have organized three “swim sprees” to raise money for the West Broad YMCA, in addition to working with Horizons Camp, which offers underprivileged children the opportunity to learn to swim during the summer.

The second year of the “swim spree”, we learned that the YMCA was facing legal issues. In order to keep the facility open, we would have to raise $3000 for a handicap chair, which is required of all public facilities. While we wanted to help disabled people access the pool, Emily and I were shocked at the forced adherence to such strict guidelines for an impoverished facility that was struggling just to pay the lifeguards. That year, we worked double-time to raise extra money for the chair, in addition to the regular funds for lifeguards, pool chemicals, and other resources, and we were able to ensure the facility’s survival.

Teaching swim lessons presented an entirely different challenge. I worked for seven hours a day for two months, getting splashed and pulled in five different directions at once by wailing children. Many of these pre-teens had never seen a pool before. Some were terrified, unwilling to even dip their toes in. Most, however, were eager to cannonball right in, unaware of the dangers of the deep-end.

Despite the exhaustion, I cannot begin to express my love for teaching these children. Seeing the sincere smiles of the swimmers as I gave them a sticker for mastering a new skill was the greatest part of my summer. Knowing that I was teaching them a vital survival skill was even more gratifying. Since I have been able to swim for so long, I often forget that I started out in the same place as these children. I sometimes take for granted the opportunities that I have been given. I forget that millions of children are unable to swim, something that I see as an ordinary part of my daily life. Further, minority children are three times as likely to drown than white children, and most of the children at the YMCA and Horizons fit this category.

Being a leader isn’t just about having a title. I had to pay attention to the details that nobody else noticed, like government regulations. But more importantly, I had to set an example for the children I was teaching by being prepared for lessons and respectful of others. While I have taught them vital survival skills, they have taught me to be patient and forgiving, even when they got water up my nose.